


Take My Hands

by themadjaguar57



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, I am so sorry, Major Character Death Warning, Murder, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, in a bad way, in front of my salad?, in my own home???, let me out let me out this is not a dance, literally cannot stress this enough this is about murder, murder????, tw murder, tw strangling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 06:24:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20596178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themadjaguar57/pseuds/themadjaguar57
Summary: Edelgard's own ambitions, heart, and hands, will not lead to a good ending. She asks Dorothea to take them.





	Take My Hands

“If I could take what was hurting you away, would you let me?”

Dorothea asks it in the small hours of the morning, in the dark of the Emperor’s chambers.

Edelgard doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, the only evidence of a heart still beating the pulse under Dorothea’s fingers. And then she sighs, pulling her closer.

“You can’t.”

“But if I could?”

Edelgard pauses, then rolls over in bed to turn away.

“If you could…” She murmurs, the only other sound the cold breeze from the open window, curtains fluttering ever so slightly, “Would you take it from me if I did not allow you to?”

Another pause.

“How so?”

Dorothea can hear a shaky breath, feel Edelgard curl up tighter, but doesn’t let go or try to turn her.

“If it were a thing in my hands, and it were hurting me, would you take it?”

“Of course.”

“If it were my hands themselves, would you take them?”

“To hold?”

“No.”

The silences grow heavier, weight added with every word. Like some machine creaking downward, though Dorothea is unsure of what will come when it lands.

“If they were hurting the Emperor-”

“If they were hurting me.”

Dorothea swears she can hear the ancient eaves of Garreg Mach creaking in response.

“...I suppose I would have to take them.”

Edelgard turns suddenly, pressing Dorothea’s hand tighter to her own throat.

“If it were my heart, would you take it?”

Dorothea can barely make out pale eyes lit by moonlight, but even if she could not see them, she can feel the tears falling onto her shoulder.

“Even if you would not allow it?”

“Even if I would not allow it.”

Edelgard’s pulse quickens under her fingers.

“If it were hurting you?”

Her fingers shake and waver.

“If there were no other way? No happy place in the countryside to hide you? No dissuading you from your ambitions?”

The last pause hangs heavy as Dorothea feels her voice crack, as the last petals fall from any sort of rose hopeful for a better ending.

“I would.”

She clenches her fist and with a sick gurgling, the Emperor’s reign ends.


End file.
